Never Alone
by HPNewsie
Summary: "Even when you think you're alone in this city, once you're a newsie, you ain't ever alone. Not when you got brothers like us."


**Author's Note: This is my first ever Newsies** **fanfiction! I am very excited to post this. I love the relationship that all the newsies have with Les, especially Jack and Davey, so this story has a lot of that. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you like it! Please leave a review and let me know how I did with Newsies- any reviews would mean so much to me. Please enjoy!  
**

 **I do not own Newsies.**

"Les." Davey reached out and grabbed the back of his little brother's shirt. "Les. Listen to me."

Les turned around and sighed. "Come on Davey, just let me go. I'll be okay. I ain't gonna get soaked or nothing. Jack, tell him I'll be okay."

Jack looked at Davey, slightly amused. "Come on Dave. He'll be okay. You're a smart kid, ain't you Les?" Jack ruffled Les's hair. "I was out selling papes alone when I was nine. And I'm alive, ain't I?"

"I guess…" Davey trailed off, looking nervous. "All right Les, but you gotta promise me that you'll be careful. You meet me and Jack at Jacobi's for lunch- I don't care how many papes you've sold. And if you see the Delanceys, you get out of their way, cause none of us are gonna be there to get you out of any mess you get yourself into. You got that?"

"Okay, okay," Les said impatiently. "Can I go now? I got papes to sell!"

"Spoken like a true newsie," Jack said proudly, coming up behind Les and putting his hands on Les's shoulders. "But hey Les, be careful out there, alright kid? You is only 9. Don't go being all full of yourself your first day flying solo. "

"You mean don't act like you do," Davey muttered under his breath. Jack grinned and slung his arm around Davey's shoulder.

"Yeah, like your brother said Les- don't get as big of a head as me. Stick to the poor orphan act. Hey, let's hear your cough."

Les immediately lost his grin and rearranged his face into a pained grimace, letting out a pitiful cough and clutching his side. Jack burst into laughter as Davey rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Most excellent." Jack said. "Now get lost kid. Good luck out there." Jack gently shoved Les away, and Les took off, pushing his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan.

"Your little brother is something else, you know that?" Jack shook his head and grabbed a paper from his bag. "I'll see you at Jacobi's later Dave. In the words of the kid: I got papes to sell!" Still chuckling Jack started walking down the street, confidently shouting some garbage about a murder in Queens.

Davey shook his head, allowed himself a small smile, and then went back to worrying about Les. Jack was probably right, he would be fine. But Les wasn't the most responsible kid, or the most careful. Now that Davey thought about it, a private encounter with the Delanceys probably sounded thrilling to Les.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now," Davey said to himself. He reached into his bag, pulled out a newspaper and began yelling, repeating the same story Jack had made up. Davey had long ago resigned himself to the fact that there was a lot he could learn from Jack Kelly.

* * *

Davey walked into Jacobi's Deli, looking distracted and worried. "Has anyone seen Les?" he asked. Race, Romeo, Specs and Buttons shook their heads.

"Come on Davey, stop worrying," Specs said. "Sit down. You want us to deal you in?" Looking over, Davey realized that the four of them were playing cards. "No, I'm good." Davey settled himself down next to Romeo and rested his head in his hands, his eyes focused on the card game but not really watching it.

"Still worrying your head off?" Davey looked up ten minutes later and saw Jack standing over him, smirking. "You gotta relax pal. All this worrying, it ain't healthy. Even if he is your brother." Jack sat down next to him and observed the card game laid out in front of him. "Hey Buttons, stop cheating," he called out, grinning. Buttons looked at him sheepishly.

"Hey Davey, look who it is," Romeo nodded his head toward the door as Les strolled in, unharmed and looking supremely self-assured. Davey practically leaped out of his chair.

"What took you so long?" he scolded, grabbing Les's shoulder. "Where were you?"

"Pretty girl," Les said casually. "We talked for a while." He walked over and dropped into a seat next to Race. Davey moaned loudly.

"He's lying," Race said, grumpy because Buttons' cheating had called for the beginning of a new game. "He's never talked to no girls."

Les reached up and grabbed the cigar from out of Race's mouth. "Hey! Watch yourself kid!" Race snatched his cigar back and smacked Les in the head, a little harder than was necessary.

After the newsies had eaten and been joined by Albert, Mush, Henry, and Elmer, and after another unsuccessful attempt at cheating by Buttons that had been called out by an irate Race, and a display of violence that had been just barely prevented by Jack, they were ready to hit the streets again.

"Okay Les, meet at the circulation desk at the end of the day. And remember-"

"Be careful!" All the newsies shouted, giving Les affectionate one armed hugs, punches on the arm, and shoves as they headed out the door. Les giggled and ran off again.

"Hey Dave, how many more papes you got?" Jack asked.

"About ten- had a pretty good day so far. I guess that murder story was popular."

"You used my headline?" Jack asked in surprise. "I thought you didn't approve of making things up."

"I'm a newsie- if the headline stinks, what's a fella gonna do but take advice from the best?" Davey grinned, and so did Jack, who was glad to see his friend relaxed for once.

"Hey- I got an idea. I sold all my papes already- that's why I was late for lunch. So how's about we divide up the rest of your papes, hawk the murder story, and then take a peek at your brother. See how he's doing."

"Aha! So you are worried about him!" Davey said triumphantly. Jack shrugged.

"He's my little brother too. And besides, I got nothing better to do." Raising his eyebrows, Davey handed Jack five newspapers and they split up, easily selling the remaining newspapers in less than fifteen minutes.

"You know where he's selling?" Davey asked Jack. Jack nodded.

"'Course I do. There ain't a newsie around who hasn't confided in me about their selling spot. Les was so excited last night he was practically yelling it to the world. He's over by Central Park."

The two friends set off toward the park, talking and occasionally laughing. Finally they caught sight of Les, who was engaged in conversation with an older looking woman. Jack grabbed Davey's arm and pulled him behind around the corner. Davey could see that Les was going all out, coughing, rasping, and –wait, was that-?

"Is he wearing a _sling?"_ Davey asked incredulously. "What the hell is he doing?" Sorely tempted to march up to Les and rip the sling off of his arm, Davey restrained himself. A cough was one thing. A made up broken arm was another.

"Wait, look Davey. She just gave him a quarter! That kid's gonna make us rich!" Jack marveled. Les was now rubbing his "broken" arm, as if in pain. The woman looked back at Les sadly one last time, as he gave an exaggerated wince, but the second she turned the corner, Les grinned and threw his fist in the air.

Davey couldn't take much more of this. "All right Jack, I'm done. Let's go." He stood up to go and get Les, but Jack was leaning against the side of the building, laughing so hard he couldn't support himself.

"That little-" Jack gasped, choking with laughter. Davey slowly turned around and saw Les tilting his hat and saying something to a young girl, maybe eleven years old. The girl was smiling at him, until her mother turned around and motioned for the girl to follow. As she began to leave, Les grabbed her hand and said something else, which made the little girl blush and giggle.

"Jack! He's spending way too much time around you!" Davey said. Jack composed himself and took a deep breath, and Davey punched him in the arm. "Come on." Davey and Jack turned to go, and crashed right into Race, who had been running at top speed.

"What's the hurry?" Jack asked, grabbing Race's shoulders to steady him. "Delanceys?"

"Nah," Race said, looking slightly embarrassed. "I ran into Spot Conlon- don't know what he was doing in Manhattan- and we- er- exchanged words about something. That's all."

"Sure," Jack said doubtfully. "Whatever. We's just gonna go get Les, and then we'll get going." He turned around to look for Les, but he had gone.

"Did he leave without us?" Jack said. "He can't have gone too far. Come on." Davey and Race followed him down the street.

Suddenly Jack stopped short. "Damn," he said harshly. Davey looked over Jack's shoulder and saw Les backed up against a building, facing none other than the Delancey brothers. Fear and anger rose up inside of him and he pushed past Jack. He had to get to Les.

Davey ran as fast as he could, but he couldn't reach Les before the Delanceys made their move. Morris grabbed Les roughly and Oscar hauled back and punched him in the face. Les cried out, and Davey was blinded by rage and a consuming need to protect his little brother. Davey shoved Oscar onto the ground as hard as he could, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack punching Morris in the gut and Race carefully helping Les up. Davey didn't feel satisfied with just shoving, so he kicked Oscar in the ribs for extra emphasis. No one was ever going to hurt Les on his watch.

Jack wasn't done with Morris either. Jack was repeatedly punching him in the face and kicking his shins. When he was finally finished, Jack spat in his face.

"What do you think you're doing?" he said angrily. "You just beat up on a little kid who ain't even ten years old. You wanna fight someone, then come hunting for me. I'll soak you. But lay off the kids, especially this one, or you is gonna be dealing with all the Manhattan newsies." Shooting both the Delanceys a dirty look, Jack turned around and walked over to Race and Les. Davey followed, still feeling a powerful need to protect Les.

"You okay kid?" Jack asked Les softly, putting his hand on Les's shoulder. Les was leaning against Race, who had both arms around the little boy and looked almost as furious as Jack.

"Yeah," Les said, rubbing his eye where he had been hit. "I'm okay. I guess you were right Davey."

Davey wanted to yell at Les for not listening to him, for not staying away from the Delanceys like he said, for insisting on selling alone today. But as he looked as Les's face, where he could see a bruise forming around Les's right eye, Les suddenly looked a lot younger than nine. And Davey couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.

"Yeah," Davey murmured. "It doesn't matter though Les. It wasn't your fault."

"I tried to stay out of their way, I really did, Davey. I saw them and I started running away. But they were faster than me. And then they said that they hadn't soaked anyone for a while and I was the easiest one to get. And you saw the rest." Davey thought he saw tears in Les's eyes. "Are you mad at me?" he asked quietly.

"No," Davey said. "Of course not. I'm mad at those idiots- furious actually. But not at you."

"Are you?" Les turned to Jack.

"No way," Jack said. "I was wrong too. I guess I didn't really think about letting a little kid go sell alone so soon after the strike. I'm real sorry kid."

"You helped me," Les said suddenly, looking at Race. "I thought you didn't like me 'cause I always bother you."

Race smiled and stood Les up. "'Course I like you, kid. You's like a little brother. Even though you gotta stop stealing my cigar."

Davey put his arm around Les and hugged him. "You ready to go home?" he asked. Les nodded. The four newsies headed toward the lodging house, Davey still with his arm around Les.

"You know Les, you did a pretty good job selling today," Jack said, messing with Les's hat. "That sling idea wasn't half bad. How come you didn't tell us about it?"

"I found the sling at my house from when I hurt my arm in the strike. I thought Davey wouldn't let me use it 'cause it was too much lying. Wait- how did you see me selling? Did you follow me? You said you were going to let me sell alone!"

"Ain't you glad we did follow you? If we hadn't you'd probably still be back there getting a soaking." Jack said. Davey looked down at Les.

"Les, you wanna know something being a newsie taught me? Even when you think you're alone in this city, once you're a newsie, you ain't ever alone. Not when you got brothers like us." Davey smiled, Race rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and gave Davey a shove, and Jack whooped and picked Les up.

Les grinned. "Okay. Thanks. You're the best brothers I could ask for. Even if Davey worries too much."

Jack chuckled. "Agreed." Race nodded vehemently.

Davey just rolled his eyes and smiled. As much as Les gave him grief, and was a source of constant anxiety, Davey realized just how much he cared about Les. And it eased his worrying, if only temporarily, to know that even if he couldn't always be there to protect his brother, they both had a whole family of newsies who would.


End file.
